A shorter take on Galatians 3

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? I told you, Jesus Christ was crucified!

Did you receive the Spirit by following the law or by believing what you heard about Jesus?

Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?

Did you experience so much for nothing? Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by following the law or by believing what you heard?

Abraham believed God and was made righteousness. It is evident no one is justified before God by the law because righteous people live by faith.

Whoever pushes the law must live by the law, but Christ redeemed us from that curse. He did this so the blessing of Abraham might come to non-Jews. He did it so all might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Here’s an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. The promises made to Abraham and to his offspring are like a will. The promises were made to Abraham’s offspring, that is, to one person — Christ.

My point is this: The law, which came 430 years after the promises, does not wipe out the promises. If the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise.

Why then the law? It was added because of humankind’s failures. It was temporary, until the offspring, Jesus, would come.

Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! But no law could bring life; no law can bring righteousness. Scripture has spelled out sin so the promise through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Now before faith came in Christ, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law for a time. The law was our disciplinarian until Christ came. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.

In Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. (I will keep saying this over and over until you get it.) All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is no longer Jew or Greek.

There is no longer slave or free.

There is no longer male and female.

All of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring. You are heirs according to the promise, which preceded the law.

(This shortened take on Galatians 3 is based on the New Revised Standard Version of Scripture.)